Lynk&Co launches its second motor for Europe, the all-electric 270-mile 02

Hail Lynk&Co’s newest effort for Europe. This is the all-electric 02 with over 270 miles of range as standard. Known as the Z20 in China, the Zero-Two’s prices start at an attention-grabbing £29,719 (€35,495).

So what does that get you? A sleek, inoffensive-looking crossover coupé. It's roughly the size of the Skoda Elroq (4.4m by 1.8m) and like its Czech rival, is looking to compete with the VW ID.3, the Peugeot e-3008 and the Renault Scenic.

The rear-wheel-drive EV - built on Geely’s Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) - features a 66kWh NMW battery, capable of 268bhp and 253lb ft torque. It recharges from 10-80 per cent in a half hour using a 150kW charger and is good for about 276 miles. That isn’t as much as its rivals – the Elroq’s official range is 347 miles and the Scenic supports 170kW power delivery – but the 02 likely trumps the others where digital connectivity is concerned (more on that in a bit).

You'll spot the minimalistic front end with a barely-there, sensor-laden grille and front LED headlights offering ‘welcome’ and ‘goodbye’ projections. Those inoffensively soft body lines head back towards the rear spoiler – the only angular thing on the whole package – which houses rear lights that span the width of the car and border the coupe-sloped rear screen. The 02 comes in red, white, grey or blue. apparently a metallic paint job isn't going to cost extra and the high-gloss black contrast roof features a pano roof.

There are two trim levels: Core and More. The standard 02 Core is priced from £29,676 (€35,495), where the 02 More variant starts at £33,018 (€39,495).

The Core gets you 19in wheels and inside, it has a ‘club’-themed cabin, decorated in black and blue with orange accents. There’s a 10.2in driver display and a larger 15.4in central display with fully digitised buttons. Standard means heated steering wheel, ambient lighting and wireless charging for mobile handsets. The slimmed-down seats are bedecked in stylish and not-obviously-recycled upholstery. Plus, the front electrically adjustable ones are also heated. In addition to those 15 litres in the front trunk, the 02 has 410 litres of boot storage.

Digital features are plenty, and include full 5G connectivity on the Ecarx platform, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset. It's worth noting Ecarx is a London-based purveyor of solutions for the software-defined vehicle, creating third-party digital cockpits, with cloud-based comms and driver assist sophistication. To make your new car purchase feel increasingly more like your next laptop purchase, that particular chipset gives amazing processing power, minimal lag and fantastic display resolution.

When it comes to driver assist functionality, the 02 has 21 active and passive safety features, including adaptive cruise control, lane change assist and evasive manoeuvre assist (EMA). There's also remote air conditioning, a ‘Journey Camera’ able to take selfies via the rear-view mirror (yes, really), and bi-directional vehicle-to-load (V2L) charging turning the Zero-Two into a wheel-based power bank.

Connected features don't stop there either (you were warned). Lynk also wants you to make money from your vehicle via the Lynk&Co app. It enables car-sharing and digital keys, though there’s a physical strap in the car to initiate car-sharing – keeping this highly connected car secure.

David Green, VP of Lynk&Co’s products and offers division, said: “Currently, thirty per cent of Lynk&Co owners use this function, and this is set to grow in step with the expanded choice of products. The Lynk&Co 02 joins the urban EV sector with a world-class combination of new-generation design and cutting-edge software capabilities, delivering value for money and a unique personality.”

Upgrading to the dearer More trim will get you in ‘Downtown’ theme, where a fetching lime-yellow is offset against black and grey. The enhanced trim includes bigger 20in wheels and a range of 276 miles, which Lynk&Co says is achievable because there's a gloss black active front shutter and heat pump. It also hosts a 22kW onboard charger, a 360-degree camera and a fancier Harman Kardon sound suite.

Despite its relatively subdued appearance, Lynk&Co reckons the 02 has a sense of humour. No, there's not some generative-AI emoji-bot cracking jokes. Instead, it's integrated lighthearted messages like 'We’ve got the power!’ at the charge port and ‘Nope, No Engine Here’ when opening the 15-litre front boot. Yes. Very funny.

Lynk tells us customers who bought its first PHEV - the 01 - heavily shaped the design of the 02, via more than 6,000 messages sent to the design team through the in-car app. That resulted in the ‘Hey Honk’ feature.

Which isn't the latest wake word for the digital assistant, but a set of friendly alerts to interact with other road users, so we’re told. Apparently, during tests, pedestrians preferred them to a conventional car horn sound, though Lynk assures us the traditional horn stays as a standard (and very legally required) feature.

The company's really pushing its environmental credibility, pointing out that the cars are made in factories supported by 100 per cent renewable energy, that it’s using blockchain technology to trace the materials in its batteries and giving customers lifetime battery support by repairing, refurbishing, replacing and recycling.

The Lynk&Co 02 is now on sale – only online, mind and only on the Continent so if you want it here in the UK, you'll have to import. At least for now.